"We know Ty has at least one ligament injury," said veterinary surgeon Dr. Kara Forsee. "We'll determine that once we get into surgery and explore the joint."

Hubble said it was hard to be separated from Ty again, this time for the duration of the surgery.

"I told him, 'You're going to be OK, buddy,'" he said.

He said the day that his partner disappeared was tough.

"I went about 48 hours without sleep and I think I'm still recovering from that," he said.

Ty was sedated as his care providers worked to prep him for the operation. Everyone knows that the surgery must succeed if Ty and Hubble are going to continue serving together on the force.

"He's my eyes and ears," Hubble said. "He's there for me, just like I've got to take care of him."

Ty was brought into the surgery suit with the equivalent of a torn ACL in humans. The procedure will reveal the extent of the damage he suffered.

The minutes seemed to take hours for Hubble.

"It's a worry. It's a worry, definitely," he said.

The operation and follow-up care is expensive. The veterinary hospital is discounting its services, but the public also donated $4,000 to help cover Ty's treatment through recovery.

"We can't thank people enough for the money they donated," he said.

After the surgery, doctors said they found only one torn ligament.

"Everything went very well. He's doing great," Forsee said.

"He'll be back with us," Hubble said.

Ty will need the equivalent of refresher courses to get back to speed on his police training, but he's expected to return to duty with the North Kansas City Police Department before the end of February.